Chemical and Biological Applications of Relaxation Spectrometry

Chemical relaxation spectrometry involves the application of several different relaxation techniques to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms of fast chemical reactions and also dynamic molecul­ 10 ar processes that occur in liquids in the time range 1 - 10- secs. These methods have been used widely in several disciplines of the natural sciences including molecular biology, biochemistry, organic stereochemistry, detergent chemistry and inorganic chemistry. The purpose of the Advanced Study Institute was to provide a forum for scientists to discuss the role, scope and limitations of the various applications of chemical relaxation methods in order to stimulate discussion and interaction between workers in these different fields. The papers described in this volume are a summary of the contributions that were discussed at the meeting. The brief given to the authors was to attempt to prepare an article contain­ ing a good supply of references so that the book can be used not only by those starting in the field, but also by the specialist and research worker. These contributions cover a varied range of topics summarizing the achievements, the current state of knowledge and possible application in many disciplines. It is to be hoped that this volume will help to point out some new directions towards which research efforts are required and to attract new researchers with fresh points of view.